Some people are absolute bandana fanatics. (We definitely understand – we are too.) Others just have some favorite bandanas they want to keep around as long as possible. Whatever, the case your bandana’s longevity depends in large part on the care you give it.
Perhaps, the most important aspect of proper bandana care is washing. You can’t just throw your bandana in the washer with all your other clothes and wash in hot water. And you certainly can’t dry it with your other clothes in a hot, rough-tumbling dryer. That is, you can’t do that if you want your favorite bandanas to keep their color and last any length of time.
Do let’s dive in and see what you need to do to provide the care that will make your bandana last.
Cotton Fabric Care
Although we do carry some poly-cotton blend bandanas (for example, our USA-made American flag bandana) here at Bandana.com, most of our quality bandanas are 100% cotton. So we’ll start off with some best practices for the care of cotton garments and accessories in general.
Pre-cleaning/Pre-treating Stains
Cotton will stain, so before washing be sure to inspect for any stains on your clothing item. Apply a gentle stain remover to the affected area and then wash soon after. Just be sure to avoid chemically harsh stain removers.
If you don’t have or don’t want to use a stain remover, you can apply detergent to the stain. (Dawn dish detergent is a good option here.) After applying the detergent, let the item sit for about 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse it in cold water. It’s generally recommended to wash it immediately after rinsing.
Washing Cotton Fabric
You can machine wash cotton items if you exercise some caution. Wash on the normal or a gentler cycle at a low temperature, cold or warm at the hottest. Use a gentle eco-friendly detergent, and be sure to avoid fabric softeners and certainly bleach (unless it’s a pure white item). Also, wash only with other clothes of a similar color.
Drying Cotton Fabric
You should avoid tumble drying cotton items because doing so can speed up their aging and may cause shrinkage. (Besides, using the dryer will drive up your utility bill.) It’s best, then, to hang your cotton items after washing and let them air dry. And give them a shake now and then while they’re drying to help them retain their shape and to avoid wrinkles.
Ironing Cotton Fabric
Shaking out your cotton clothing items while they are drying, can go a long way toward preventing wrinkles, but you still may need to iron them. Do not iron on high heat, low to medium heat only. Smaller, thinner cotton items like bandanas are less resistant to heat, so start out with your iron on a low-heat setting and then adjust it as needed.
Tips for Bandana Care
Now we come to bandana care in particular. Here’s what you need to keep in mind . . .
Test First
If you have a bandana with intense, vibrant colors, you should test it first before washing – even if it claims to be color fast. Using a bowl or small sink, dip a corner of the bandana in water, getting only one or two inches of the corner sopping wet. Then press that wet corner against something white, say, a paper towel. What you want to look for is whether any of the color transfers to the paper towel.
If it does, you can try using a “color catcher” when washing the bandana. Alternatively, you can wash and rinse the bandana very quickly by hand and then roll it up in a towel right away. After the towel has soaked up most of the water, you can lay the bandana flat to dry, maybe using a hair dryer on low heat to speed up the process.
But all this is just for fussy bandanas. Most of the time you won’t have to worry about this, but it never hurts to test first.
Wash Appropriately
First keep in mind that you should never wash colored bandanas with light-colored clothes until they have been through a few wash cycles. Some say that you can set the color by adding a little vinegar to the rinse cycle, but this isn’t always reliable. Still, you’re probably better off hand washing bandanas.
Dawn dish soap is an excellent detergent choice for hand washing, and the bathroom sink is a great place to do it. Squirt a few drops of Dawn into the sink, and then fill it with lukewarm water. Put the bandana in and then swish it around for 20 to 30 seconds. After that, drain the water, refill the sink with lukewarm water, and rinse the bandana.
Make sure to be gentle after rinsing. Don’t wring the water out of the bandana, but instead just ball it up and squeeze it. Next lay the bandana on a towel and roll it up to remove the water you couldn’t get out by squeezing. After this, lay the bandana flat, hang it on a clothesline, or hang it over the shower-curtain rod and let it air dry.
(Bandanas made of poly-cotton blends will stand up to machine washing better than cotton ones, provided you wash on the gentle cycle. You probably won’t have to hand wash these, but you should still let them air dry.
Iron Carefully
If, after drying, your bandana still has some wrinkles and needs ironing, do it carefully. Do not use very high heat when ironing. Also, it’s a good idea to put a piece of fabric between the bandana and the iron before ironing.
Tips for Dog Bandana Care
Let’s drill down a little more now and consider dog bandanas.
Pet bandanas and dog bandanas are very popular and growing in popularity daily. And they should be because these bandanas, besides looking utterly cute, offer many health and safety benefits for your furry family member.
But you still have to take care of dog bandanas properly. If you don’t, you’ll lose some of the benefits, and you may even cause harm to your pooch. Without regular washing, your pup’s bandana can accumulate germs and cause skin irritation and even illness.
Washing Dog Bandanas
Following are the standard washing tips for 100% cotton bandanas for dogs . . .
- Hand wash whenever possible
- If you machine wash use a gentle cycle and cold water-based
- Don’t use bleach
- Do not tumble dry
- Do not use fabric softener
- Do not soak in warm water
These tips are very much the same as for any cotton bandana, but they are even more critical for pet bandanas because they will have to be washed much more often.
Owing to frequent washings, you must use a gentle cycle if you machine wash to avoid tearing the bandanas. Soaking or washing in hot water can cause shrinkage. Also, avoid using fabric softeners because they can build up in and on a bandana making it difficult for detergent to penetrate and get out dirt and stains. And ironing on medium or high heat may burn a bandana, and you should place a thin towel over the bandana to protect it during ironing.
Final Observations on Dog Bandana Care
Finally, we should emphasize that you need to wash your pup’s bandana(s) frequently. Don’t wait until the bandana is visibly dirty. Wash it on a regular schedule so as to prevent any health hazards.
Where to Get Your Quality, Affordable Bandanas
When you’re ready to purchase your bandanas, do you know where to get them?
Just go to the bandana source that offers both quality bandanas and great prices coupled with superior customer service – Bandana.com.
Here at Bandana.com, we offer a wide selection of all kinds of headwear, including bucket hats, bandanas, and doo rags. You can get more information about us here.
If you are interested in more bandana information and tips, feel free to check out the link below!
